Hello^^
I want to buy a new dslr camera, but i'm not sure which one. I've never had a dslr before and didn't know a lot obut it. Which camera is best - Sony Alpha A390 or Canon EOS 1000D? Whats the differences?
Please help - Ida

Hello Ida, a warm welcome to the Cameralabs forum! Before you make many more posts, be sure to read our House Rules, just to make sure that you follow all of the guidelines.

To answer your question, the 1000D (Or Rebel XS in North America) is a nice Canon camera, although it's been aging quickly since it's 2008 release date. It's a decent entry level cam, although it's performance isn't quite on par with some other DSLRs. With only 7 AF points, a 10MP sensor and a smaller low-res display, it's harder to recommend. Although, it's design certainly seems more "Pro" than the A390, with more buttons and a less streamlined superzoom look. It also outperforms the A390 in high burst shooting, with 3FPS as opposed to only 2.5.

The Sony is a nice new camera, recently announced. It's ISO is expandable up to 3200 (As opposed to the 1600 of the 1000D), has a better LV system like many Sonys, has built in IS, a larger higher res display that even tilts! Although, it has less buttons and uses a CCD sensor as opposed to the CMOS of the 1000D. Generally, CMOS sensors are better on account of their superb performance on poor lighting situations and their better battery life.

I cannot recommend either of these cameras to you yet, as I don't know what you'll be using them for. What kind of shots will you be taking? Is this your first DSLR? What do you already know about photography and are you ready for full manual mode? Is ease of use important? What's your budget for the body and some lenses? These questions are very important, considering that these will determine what you're looking for in a DSLR and help you decide.

I think you should be asking yourself the question why you actually want a DSLR first. If it's just to have one, for general use, then a higher end point-and-shoot might fit the bill at a lower price point for you. If you are new to photography beyond P&S photos, perhaps an investment in some introductory photo classes would be in order first to enable you to get the most out of your investment. While you can certainly use the automatic modes, to really get the best out of any camera, you need to fully understand the points around lighting, shutter speed, aperture, etc. No matter how expensive a camera you have, it's still only a tool -- it's the photographer that takes the picture, not the camera.

The next step, once you feel more informed, is to get to a proper camera shop and get both in your hands. Avoid testing out in a box store -- there simply is no replacement for a proper camera shop's advise and knowledge.

If you are beyond this and feel comfortable with all the above, I would say that the Canon is fairly old in the marketplace now -- but is possibly the ultimate budget DSLR at the moment. Not to write off the Sony, which presents an interesting option. So I don't prefer either one as a starter. More to the point is what system do you want to tie your boat to.